The-BALL started as a simple idea (handwritten on a cocktail napkin, of course) to form a new professional basketball league that would feature former college stars playing in the college communities where they already have local fame and a major following.

The hypothesis was that college basketball fans would come out to see their favorite players from recent graduating classes competing for a local professional team (equivalent to the AAA-level in pro baseball) and that former college players would appreciate the opportunity to play in familiar territory, gain valuable exposure and training, and get paid a salary during the off-season.

After a lot of listening, learning, and tweaking, we began testing the concept on every key audience: the players, their agents, sports execs, leaders in the college basketball community, university and city officials, arena operators, potential sponsors and media partners, and hundreds of basketball fans. Ultimately, we determined that we were onto something with the BALL and decided to start building it.